Joyful Spirits Linger from VBS 2017
by Tony Tench We have had a terrific week at Vacation Bible Study during which we have celebrated the Scripture’s teaching of God’s creativity at work in our lives. As is our tradition, our youth are trained to be helpers during VBS and they serve well with the children. Then, after VBS is over each […]
CPR — Missional Lifeline for the Kingdom of God
By Eduardo Steibel I am a “CPR”. Yes, I am a “Cooperative Program Recipient.” Born in Brazil of Latvian and German descent, I was blessed since my early days by the generosity of thousands of small churches that came together to send missionaries and carry the work of the kingdom of God all over the […]
A Big Salt Shaker
By Tina B. Still Tonight our Sunday school class volunteered to serve dinner at the men’s homeless shelter in Shelby. This simple experience is a humbling and especially rewarding mission. Over the past five weeks, author, Max Lucado has led our class through the first five verses of the 23rd Psalm. How appropriate that our lesson today […]
Here We Go Again — a Mother’s Day Reflection
By Missy Smith Here we go again…. It’s another morning and my alarm goes off. As I reach to silence it…. I take a deep sigh and I cringe. I know that when my feet hit the floor they will not stop until I come back to this bed in the late hours of the […]
BABY GRACE AND GOD’S AMAZING GRACE
By Jim McSwain The following encounter is of an experience I had with a patient in the hospital. This encounter was a significant personal moment in my ministry as a chaplain at CHS-Cleveland. I was paged to the maternity ward and as I entered the room I saw that the patient was a young mother. Her […]
For All the Twists of Life’s Journey…
By Sue Smith Don and I had both just retired. We were settling well into God’s intention for service from a “retirement point of view.” I had always held fast to the challenge from scripture, “This is the day the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24), and God […]
High Hopes, 92 Years and Counting!
By J.A. West I was born and reared in Wilmington, NC, but when I was 18 years old, the US Navy changed all of that. I was about to be drafted into the army, but I chose to join the Navy instead. The Navy took us 19-year-olds and spent a year training us and hoping […]
Called to a Song of Unity: A Faith Story
By Justin Harper God grows on you. Or for some…God grows IN you. Sure, we can grow in God, but have you ever thought of it like this: What if when God calls YOU out, it is at just the RIGHT time and at just the RIGHT place? HE searches for YOU…everyday. It took me […]
Black Swan Event — Have You Had One?
By John Crosland I am currently reading a book titled The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb. Mr. Taleb was previously a “quant,” an individual who created algorithms for high speed trading for investment banks on Wall Street. His real interests and strengths were in ascertaining the risks that were unforeseen. (This is not unlike being […]
Overcomer: A Journey Through Grief
By Suzanne Martin In June 2015, my husband, Don, and I flew from Oklahoma to North Carolina for an annual month-long stay with family. All the emotions were in tow: excitement, anticipation, anxiety, and happiness. The morning after we arrived, my world changed abruptly and I would never be the same. As Pop, as Don […]